NICOLA Sturgeon yesterday hit out at hate crime following the Paris ­terror attacks as police launched a probe into vile messages aimed at a Holyrood colleague.

Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first Muslim government member, was bombarded with racist and hate-filled posts on Facebook and Twitter accusing him of supporting IS fanatics behind Friday’s atrocities.

The minister for external affairs and international development is understood to have reported at least nine incidents to Police Scotland.

Some yobs said the Glasgow MSP should be deported to Syria and suggested he should be harmed.

Since the tragedy in the French capital, the force has seen an increase in crimes motivated by religious hatred. Deputy Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said they have been both online and in public and that “arrests had been made”.

The First Minister said the country must “stand united, shoulder to shoulder” after visiting Glasgow Central Mosque to mark the Europe-wide minute’s silence for the Paris victims.

She said: “These people are fleeing the terror of Isis, that’s why as a community and in co-operation with other countries we have a part to play in dealing with the refugee crisis.”

Ms Sturgeon said the refugees coming to the UK through the Syrian Vulnerable Peoples Relocation Scheme had “undergone stringent security checks”.

The SNP leader, who was ­accompanied by Mr Yousaf and Justice Secretary Michael Matheson, added: “There is absolutely no place for bigotry and prejudice in Scotland and this government is clear that any form of hate crime is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.